


Table For Two

by NotSoHotsuin



Category: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2
Genre: Best Friends, Fluff, Food, Hugs, M/M, No Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-21 23:47:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11368146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotSoHotsuin/pseuds/NotSoHotsuin
Summary: Daichi spends a whole week sharing food with Hibiki on their school’s rooftop, and Hibiki intends on returning the kind gesture.





	Table For Two

**Author's Note:**

> Loosely based off a line Daichi says to Hibiki in the Japanese version of the game that unfortunately didn't get translated directly. It went something along the lines of "Stupid, stupid, stupid, I feel so betrayed!" -aka the best soundbite of Daichi ever calling Hibiki "Baka, baka, baka!" to ever exist.

Their school’s cafeteria food was no commodity, and neither was the selection of food. Daichi often found himself sick with some of the items, so he took it upon himself to make his own lunch. He had gotten pretty good at it too after only a few weeks of practice, even if the dishes were simple.

Hibiki often ate from the cafeteria, and had no problem with the food. Daichi did not know if it was due to Hibiki’s horribly bland taste palate or the fact he actually could not tell the difference between junk and gourmet. While Daichi was no culinary genius, he knew enough about which flavors worked together and which ones did not to make a decent meal.

It was not until Hibiki forgot his lunch money one day that Daichi persuaded him to try his cooking.  
“I’ll pass.” Daichi narrowed his eyes, a little hurt by the look of fear on Hibiki’s face.  
“Wow. You have so little faith in me. I’m deeply wounded.” He faked a hurt voice and looked upset. If Hibiki did not see right through him, it probably could have fooled a bystander. Hibiki took a look at the insides of the plastic container and questioned his own judgement. He was hungry enough to actually give it a chance.  
“Hibiki, it’s not going to kill you! The cafeteria food is probably already doing it for you in small doses.” There was now a grin on Hibiki’s face.  
“You sure are confident about this.” Daichi tensed up. Those small glances Hibiki offered him so suddenly had a specific feel to them that made his fingers twitch and his neck feel a little heated. He said it in such a sly tone, almost as if he was unmasking Daichi to see the true intent behind his actions. It never went by unnoticed, and always left Daichi flustered.  
“Just eat the damn food! I’m hungry and have no problem finishing it all by myself!” On that note, Hibiki took a seat on the floor next to him, and used a set of chopsticks that were originally intended for Daichi. Hibiki caught the fish between the two chopsticks and hesitantly brought it to his lips to taste.

 

“Aaaah!” Daichi nearly dropped the food when he moved closer to grab Hibiki’s shoulder.

“W-what!? Are you okay? Did you accidentally swallow a bone? I made sure to clean it and-” The panic in his voice subsided when Hibiki spoke up again.

“No, it tastes great!”

“Oh…” Daichi furrowed his brows and smacked Hibiki over the head. “The heck, dude!? Don’t yell like that! I thought I killed you!”

“So much for that confidence a moment ago.” Daichi’s cheeks reddened and he pulled the box away from Hibiki’s grasp.

“No more food for you. Bad Hibiki. Giving me goosebumps for no damn reason...”

“No, come on. You barely shared. Give it up.”

“So now you want my food?”

“Give it.” Daichi snorted and handed his food over to Hibiki. It was so easy. Hibiki did not even have to argue or try to fight it out of Daichi’s hands. He just gave it up willingly.

“Have as much as you want, but make sure you save some for me.”

Hibiki agreed to save some, but he was already halfway into the lunchbox before he realized there might not be enough left for the both of them. He counted on Daichi to tell him when it was time to stop hogging the food, but Daichi never spoke up about it. Daichi was too proud he had made something Hibiki actually enjoyed eating. They ate out, had food in the cafeteria at times, but Hibiki never smiled like this when it came to those dishes. It made him forgive him for eating all the salmon and rice and leaving none for him.

 

He made sure to make a bigger batch for tomorrow.

 

* * *

 

“Bapa-ra-pa!~” Daichi brought forth a bigger lunch box that was stuffed with pasta, veggies, and different types of cheese. When Hibiki saw the box, he grew somewhat skeptical.

“We’re going to eat pasta from the same box?” Yeah, this did not have disaster painted all over it. Daichi pouted and put the box between them as they sat on the floor of their school’s rooftop again.

“For someone who will eat anything, you’re awfully picky with me.”

“Not picky,” Hibiki scanned the box again. He was really hungry, and it was rude to turn someone down when they went out of their way to do something as kind as prepare lunch for him. “-but maybe we should eat in turns.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve never watched lady and the tramp?”

“What?”

“Nothing. I’m sure only good things will come of this.” Daichi rolled his eyes and pulled the lid off the box so they could enjoy the food. Despite what Hibiki said, they ended up finishing the meal just fine, and whatever he had imagined would happen was nothing more than an exaggeration. However, seeing that smile on Hibiki’s face again made Daichi want to cook up something special one more time. He considered trying to learn new dishes just to wow Hibiki.

 

* * *

 

Their next school lunch was another round of pasta. Daichi had cooked enough for there to be leftovers, but instead of adding cheese and veggies to the mix, he made a thick tomato sauce with meatballs. Anything that resembled ketchup was sure to land him on Hibiki’s good side. The guy drenched dishes in ketchup no matter what it was. Chicken, rice, vegetables, plain bread- Daichi was confident Hibiki would put ketchup on ketchup if he had nothing better to choose from.

   
That was partly why he enjoyed cooking for him so much. For once, Hibiki was not just eating whatever he got his hands on. He was eating something that was made with care and affection rather than quickly processed junk food. Their lunch breaks had become so peaceful. The best of all was that they could spend them together now that Hibiki was no longer eating at the cafeteria.

“Do you miss the cafeteria food at all?”

“Can’t talk. Eating.” That was the only answer Daichi needed, and it was all he ever asked for. Although, he did want to ask Hibiki to stop stealing his meatballs right off his fork. He kept fighting him off sometimes, even if there was plenty for both of them.

“Mine.” It was amusing to see Hibiki get so possessive over his cooking.

“Seriously?” Daichi made some effort to nudge Hibiki’s fork aside with his own, but when he grabbed Daichi’s hand to angle his fork upwards so he could bite into it and steal the meat, Daichi gave up all hope.

“You lost your food privileges when you gave me permission to eat.” Daichi could still not understand how Hibiki remained so slim despite eating much more than him every time they went out.

“How do I still weigh more than you? You. Eat. Everything!”

“You burn a lot of calories when you try to come up with new ways to steal food from your best friend,” He felt fuzzy every time Hibiki said the words ‘best friend’. Daichi said the words all the time, but Hibiki used the phrase so scarcely that he was almost surprised every time it came up in conversation.

“You ruined all other food for me. I hope you’re proud of yourself. You’ve created a monster.”

“Very funny,” Daichi smiled and allowed Hibiki to eat the rest of what was left. “You’re… really, really funny sometimes.”  
  
He suddenly felt completely sated.

 

* * *

 

Chicken fillet stuffed with prosciutto was next on the agenda- a dish more complex but worth the effort. It was accompanied by a small selection of baby carrots and peas, items he actually took from a can to save time. His mother made this dish at home, so he got the recipe from her before trying anything on his own without the correct ingredients.

Hibiki had never tasted it before, and was pleasantly surprised by how well the two meats balanced each other out, and how the salty taste from the prosciutto helped highlight the flavor of the chicken. He never would have imagined himself eating something like this on the rooftop of their school. The more shocking aspect was that Daichi was the chef that made it happen.

“Um, hey, Hibiki…” Daichi felt hesitant to say it. He had tried to contain his eagerness for a while, but his curiosity was not going to fade until he came out with it. “If you, um…” Hibiki looked up from the lunch box to scan Daichi’s expression. He was looking off to the side, cheeks dusted a light shade of pink. It was a good look on him.  
“If you ever feel like eating something specific, you can always drop a request.” Hearing Daichi say this told Hibiki he had completely misinterpreted their arrangement.  
“Are you sure?”  
“Yeah, man. Why not?”  
“Uh…” Hibiki lowered his gaze slightly, trying to collect his thoughts. “I thought I was bothering you. I’m kinda stealing half your lunch every day now.”  
“Oh come on! It’s been tons of fun to cook different things. You’ve helped me along. What’s wrong with wanting to thank a guy?” Hibiki was trying to piece together the puzzle, but found himself dumbfounded. He was good at math, but he was completely unable to figure out why Daichi was implying he was the one that should offer thanks.

  
“...Me mooching off you is helping you?”  
“Hibiki, the first time you looked at my food, you wouldn’t touch it.” Daichi laughed and looked proud of himself. “Now i’ve got you hooked! Seriously, it’s enough just to see you enjoy my cooking.” His tone slipped slightly when he recalled the look on Hibiki’s face when he turned him down. “No one else really had the courage to try it either. It… wasn’t really that nice of a feeling.” Hibiki considered Daichi’s request, and came to a good answer after a second or two.  
 

“...Pizza.” Daichi got a little lost in thought during his ramble, and barely noticed Hibiki had answered him.  
“Huh?”  
“How about pizza?” Pizza was a rather simple dish that Daichi knew by heart already, but there were so many different types that he had trouble understanding which one it was that Hibiki wanted.  
“Be more specific.”  
“Um… the one with meat on it?” Daichi almost felt like laughing as he sat there, grinning from ear to ear. The clueless look on Hibiki’s face managed to break his composure.  
“That’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever heard! Pfhaha!” He gave into temptation and laughed as hard as humanly possible. Hibiki rolled his eyes, telling Daichi something about how he was going to throw himself off the roof if he did not stop poking fun at his ignorance when it came to food.  
 

Daichi made sure to prepare the dish flawlessly for tomorrow.

 

* * *

 

It was a simple pizza with the usual toppings, cheese, meat, tomato sauce, a bunch of spices and seedless olives. Daichi did not really think it was challenging to make it, but seeing Hibiki enjoy it was more than enough. Since he did not think making pizza was enough, once they finished, he brought up a small plastic bag with sugary treats in it.

“You brought cookies?”  
“No, I baked cookies. Chocolate chip cookies, actually.” The extra effort was appreciated, but it greatly confused Hibiki.  
“...Why?” Daichi wanted to smack him over the head again. He forced a smile and put on the most dramatic voice he could manage, and pretended he was hosting a documentary.  
  
“Why? An excellent question. Yes, let us discuss the meaning behind the chocolate chip cookie’s existence-!” Daichi glared at him the best he could, and looked utterly unamused. “God, I might be dense, but you’re stupid.” Hibiki smiled sheepishly, and that forced Daichi to smile along even if he did not feel like it. Two seconds later, he had already forgiven the rude question, and was holding a cookie out for Hibiki to take before he tried them himself.  
“I’ve never had a guy make me cookies before. It feels different.” Daichi choked on his cookie and started coughing. He blindly put his hand into his bag to locate a water bottle so he could wash down the crumbs that got stuck in his throat.  
“C-come again?” was all he managed to choke out before he started drinking the water. A clear mistake.  
“Even when the girls made me lunch, they never baked cookies. Best friend went the extra mile~” Daichi was trying to hold a steady frown on his face, but he was awful at hiding his feelings, so he just tackled Hibiki in a desperate attempt to change the topic.  
“G-give those back! I’m never making you cookies again!”  
“No!” Hibiki shoved two into his mouth and uttered something similar to ‘mine now’. Daichi still managed to grab the rest, and shoved the cookies into his bag before he zipped it up and calmed his coughing fit. When Hibiki had managed to swallow the remaining two cookies in his mouth he rubbed the crumbs away with the back of his hand and reached out for Daichi’s water bottle- grabbing it without a care in the world and drinking directly from it.  
  
“Whaaaat are you doing?”  
“I’m thirsty.”  
“That’s my bottle...”  
“I’ll give it back.”  
“...Yeah, no, you keep it.” He told himself to remember not to drink from it.  
“Be adult, Daichi.”  
“Wh- be adult?! Speak for yourself mister cookie-hogger! I hope they go straight to your thighs!” Hibiki felt as if he was rolling his eyes too much and just held the bottle out in front of Daichi’s lips so he could drink the rest.  
“It won’t kill you.”  
“You don’t know that!”  
“If it does, I’ll take responsibility.” Daichi could not believe he was actually falling for it. He had a pout on his face before he placed his hand on the bottle, and drank what was left. He took note to how Hibiki did not let go of the bottle, even if his hand was already keeping it in place. Hibiki was the one that pulled it away with a curious smile- one that was trying to make Daichi realize he might have been overreacting just a bit. Daichi did not want to hear it. He had better things to worry about- like why his lips felt tingly all of a sudden.

 

“Do you want some help preparing food for tomorrow?” Daichi moved his hand over his lips for a second to rub off anything that might have been tickling them.  
“Oh, uh. No, I’m good.”  
“I could help.”  
“Dude, we wouldn’t get anything done! We’d just sit down and play videogames or something.”  
“I promise I’ll be helpful.”  
  
Daichi considered it, and the more he tried to deny it, the more he actually came to accept it would be fun to have someone help him out in the kitchen. Except, they never got as far as the kitchen. As soon as they stepped into the house, everything unfolded exactly as Daichi had expected. They sat down to play a few games, lost track of time, and forgot that Hibiki had to go home somewhere around nine o clock. They were really lucky that Hibiki’s house was only a small bit away from his- enough for him to walk the distance even if it was late. Nine was usually a good hour to go home, ten was a little late but not impossible, and eleven was already pushing it.  

When they realized it was past midnight, Daichi had to find his spare PJ’S so Hibiki could borrow them and spend the night. He both hated and liked the way Hibiki always teased him over his clothes. Daichi’s pants were a little loose around his waist, and he wasted no breath pointing it out every single time. All Daichi could do was roll his eyes, and pray to God that Hibiki’s fast metabolism finally ragequit on him so he would not have the leeway to make fun of his thighs anymore.

Mornings were usually awful. The fact morning people existed was a hard fact to swallow. Sunlight peeked through a tiny gap in the curtains, and woke Daichi up despite how unlikely the chances of that happening seemed. He got out of his bed to make breakfast, but was startled to find Hibiki in the kitchen cooking up a storm. When Hibiki spotted Daichi through the open door, he waved him in as if everything was fine and the entire kitchen wasn’t trashed.  
  
“Surprised?”  
“Yeah…” He was a little uncertain. Everything looked out of place, and Daichi could not fathom what kind of dish Hibiki had prepared for him if the kitchen looked like this much of a mess. Giving in to curiosity, he addressed the elephant in the room.  
“What did you make?” Hibiki proudly presented the insides of the bowl he held in his hands- with mittens no less.  
“Cereal.” If somebody had offered Daichi a fortune not to laugh, he would not have taken the bet. It was too painful to look at a messy kitchen where everything seemed to have been turned upside-down only for the remains to equal a casual bowl of cereal. He bit his lower lip, and snickered through gritted teeth. The amusement in his voice was unmistakable as he took a hold of the bowl in Hibiki’s hands and put it on the counter, shoulders shaking with laughter.  
  
“You’re unbelievable! You could have just asked for help!” Hibiki took one look around the kitchen. It was obvious that he had no clue what he was doing when he messed up and burned something as simple as an omelette, and thought water was a decent substitute for milk for the pancake mix. It was utter chaos.  
“...Bon apetit?” That smile on Hibiki’s face was making Daichi go crazy. He brought his hands up to his forehead and shook his head.  
“I can’t believe you. Why are you like this?” He took a hold of the apron Hibiki was wearing and shook him lightly. “Why do I put up with you!?” Hibiki put his hands on Daichi’s shoulders to squeeze him softly. That did wonders to calm him down. Daichi pulled his hands back to cup his forehead again, and then his cheeks.  
“Aaaah, stupid, stupid, stupid,” He said it in a fond tone- words laced with compassion and gratitude. “God, you’re stupid, but you’re also the greatest friend I could ever ask for,” Hibiki locked eyes with him before he leaned close and pressed his lips against Daichi’s forehead. The action had Daichi tense up.

  
“W-what are you doing!?” There were certain places where Daichi allowed Hibiki to kiss him. The cheek, the forehead, but he never allowed kisses outside of their rooms. It was something he’d rather not have anyone else know about. It did not feel weird as long as he knew no one was watching them, but he did not want to take the risk. The kitchen was also not a place he wanted to associate with their kisses. Sooner or later, he would come to think about it far too much for it to be considered normal, and then what? Hibiki pulled away, and smiled at the sight of Daichi’s flushed face.  
  
“Sorry, was I too subtle?”  
“T-too subtle!?” Daichi stepped back, and grabbed the nearest whisk he could find to aim it at Hibiki as if it were a gun. “You do that again and I swear this spoon will be the last thing you’ll see!”  
“Daichi it’s called a-”  
“Daichi knows what it’s called! He just can’t think right now because Hibiki acted stupid again!”  The strange third person act was only humoring Hibiki to tease him further.  
“And to whom am I speaking?”  
“Daichi’s ghost. Hello. Nice to meet you. I hope you’re happy. You killed him. What now? How will you tell his family? His father? Murdered by his best friend, the most overused cliche. You better man up to your promise and take some responsibi-” He let out a small yelp when he felt Hibiki’s arms wrap around him to pull him closer, and all the fight in him subsided when he felt Hibiki press their lips together.

 

Not thinking about Hibiki’s kisses outside his bedroom had just become impossible.


End file.
